


The Dragon's Cavern

by noexcuses27



Category: Alice in Chains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 10:34:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19766401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noexcuses27/pseuds/noexcuses27
Summary: Alice in Chains were always a band up for adventure. Since they were kids, they played music and got into a lot of trouble. Layne, especially, had thirst for the dangerous life they'd all been living. His naivety and innocence led him to fall into experiences that caused great pain.Although his friends and bandmates were curious about the danger Layne always sought after, they chose to stay behind for their own safety. After time, they struggle to find ways to stop him from chasing, to stop him for chasing the  dragon.





	1. Prologue

Climbing up trees and jumping off huge rocks and dunes on the beach were some of my favorite things to do as a kid. Even as a, sometimes, quiet kid, I was always drawn to kids who were into the same stuff that I was. Everyday after school, we'd find new places and dangers to explore. Every time that I was scared but didn't die, made the idea of death even more inviting. I'd always wanted to see how far I could go, how many times I could beat death. Once I became a teenager, the danger was no longer about trees or rocks, it was about real danger that brought on real death. I lost a lot of friends as I continued on with my adventurous spirit. They either left me because it wasn't fun or cool anymore, or because that death became so real that it caught them and strangled them by the throat.

In 1987, I started a band with some of my friends who hadn't left me because of the thrills of danger. They felt the same way about it, and even wrote and played music that glorified the excitement and pain that goes along with exploration, with drug addiction. Between the four of us, we'd lost many friends by our early twenties. We'd been writing songs on a dreary afternoon outside of Seattle. We brought acoustic guitars, paper, and pens into the woods. We couldn't explore danger at my house where my mom lived, or at the rehearsal hall where Jerry stayed after his mom passed away. The frogs were always so loud, even over the rain. We'd later use them as sound effects in a later album to show the realness in our music. As a band, Alice in Chains was very transparent. Listening to us being interviewed by media rats was pointless, which was why we never took them seriously. If you wanted to know about us, you just had to listen to the music.

One day, we took cover from a torrential downpour, underneath what we thought was just a giant rock. I took a couple of steps toward the inside of what turned out to be a cave, and the rest of the guys followed me. I felt more confident as a leader; the rest of the guys weren't so sure that it was a good idea. Jerry was afraid that we'd get lost, or that someone would get stuck or hury. I thought I know what we were getting into. Little did I know what kind of great danger that slept beyond the dark walls of the cave. I had many opportunities to escape. My friends begged me to leave, but having an exciting life was more important than my own mortality. The same danger that had brought me friends as a kid, was the same danger that took them away as an adult. Why couldn't I realize that climbing trees and chasing dragons were so different?


	2. Burning Angel

After hours and hours of waiting in the woods under the large rocks, the cold Seattle rain refused to let up. Sean tapped sticks rhythmically off the wall at the cave's opening. Jerry paced impatiently, back and forth.

"We need to go already. Let's just do it. There's only a couple more days to rehearse before the tour," he said.

I leaned against the rock wall with my arms folded. I wasn't really in the mood to practice; I wanted to have fun. Music started turning from fun into business.

"Let's check out what's in there," I said, motioning my head toward the opening of the cave. "Better than hanging out doin' nothing here."

Mike and Sean shrugged, casually peeking into the darkness. Jerry looked hesitant, and even shook his head.

"This is a bad idea," he muttered, following the rest of us into the cave's opening.

As expected, the cave was extremely dark. Drops of water from the ceiling fell through cracks and into puddles on the ground, echoing far and beyond. Cracks of light shone from the ceiling.

"This place is fuckin' creepy," Sean said. "Let's get out of here."

"No, no," I said, leading the way to another pathway, a bit darker. "It's fine. There's some light."

"Layne stop!" I heard Jerry yell, until the little light we had cut off abruptly.

In sheer darkness, all four of us went completely silent. The drops of rain continued to sound from above us, with the addition of our heavy breathing.

"Fuck!" Jerry shouted.

"Calm down, calm down," I said. "We'll be fine."

"We don't even know what's in here," Jerry replied hastily.

Just as Jerry spoke, flame after flame sparked on the sides of the caves, the walls engulfed in flames. I gripped my arms as the fire started to burn my skin. The sounds of our heavy breathing weren't as loud as the harsh shriek followed by a high-pitched laugh.

"What...the fuck?" Sean said quietly with a harsh tone. "What the fuck was that?"

The laughing continued and light shone from the connected tunnel that I'd had my eyes on ever since we'd entered. Flames escaped from the opening. Jerry, Mike and Sean took several steps back, but I stood in the same spot with my feet planted firmly on the ground.

"What are you guys..." I began to ask as I turned around, feeling a hand gripping my arm.

Jerry pulled me with great force but I refused, digging the heels of my feet even deeper into the ground.

"Let's go Layne," Jerry commanded. "You wanna die in here, asshole?"

"I'm not gonna die...you're so fuckin' dramatic."

Just then, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen came out from the tunnel. With blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her skin was pale, but beautiful. Her wings looked so soft that I wanted to touch them. She wore a white dress with emeralds around the borders and edges. Looking at her, top to bottom, bottom to top, it took me a couple of minutes to even realize that she was outlined and completely covered in flames which only enhanced her features.

"Damn," I whispered as I watched her reach her arm out to me.

Alice in Chains had just started touring at this point and I wasn't completely used to getting attention from girls. Also, we didn't typically see women like this at our meet and greets. I looked behind myself to see that the guys were much further back than before.

"Layne get back here," Jerry yelled. "We need to go back to the studio and record something for the album...even if it's storming...we need to get out of here."

"Are you guys not seeing what I'm looking at?" I asked. "Do you not see this chick?"

"She's on fire, man," Jerry responded. "Do you not fuckin' see that? Don't go near her...she'll probably kill you."

Throughout our bickering, she didn't say a word and just smiled. Her smile drew me in closer, and farther away. It was too beautiful to resist.

"Hello," she said softly. "I'm Crystal."

Her voice brought me in closer by three steps. I didn't remember moving my legs at all.

"Whoa whoa!" Sean shouted. "Layne she's gonna hurt you! What about your mom...and your family. What about Alice in Chains? What about us? You're just gonna leave everything behind? You just wanna die, don't you? Why are you being so fuckin' stupid right now?"

I firmly believed that Crystal could not hurt me. Jerry, Mike, and Sean were just being a bunch of pussies.

Crystal reached out the other hand toward me, so that both hands extended out in front of my chest.

"If you come with me," she smiled. "I can show you a few things."

"Oh man," I said, hearing myself giggle like a little kid.

"I can show you a world you've never seen before...you can see and hear things that you could never just imagine."

The fire from her arms and hands sparked in my eyes, the flames jumping with even her slight movement. I jumped a bit when she nearly touched me.

"If you touch me, you will not burn. You will be safe. I will personally ensure that nothing will bad happen to you. I will show you the rest of the cave...and who else lives here."

"What about us?" Jerry yelled.

When I turned just my head around, it was just Jerry. Mike and Sean had left. I turned around to face her again. She'd moved her hands toward mine, so close that they'd nearly touched. With a short breath and just a second more of consideration, I looked her in the eyes and grabbed her hand. My whole body felt warm from the inside out but I did not burn.

In only a couple seconds of time, I saw years and years in a single vision. In this vision, I saw images of Alice in Chains being incredibly successful, selling out stadiums and touring the world. The four of us looked incredibly happy. Years from the musical success, I saw myself as an older man, a happy man sitting beside a beautiful woman with dark hair. We sat in a field surrounding by flowers. The man laughed as a Superman action figure flew in his direction and landed in the grass.

A little boy with curly, dirty blonde hair ran into his arms, giving him a hug and kiss. When the man and the little boy broke from the hug, the man threw Superman back to where the boy had been playing. After the little boy had left, the man looked over at his beautiful wife, sketching a picture of the field before them.

Just as the man leaned in to kiss her, the vision faded to black and I saw Crystal once again. Her hair had changed into a fiery red and her dress turned into mix of black and red. Crystal had shown me into my future, and I wanted to see more.

"Are you ready, handsome?" Crystal said softly, maintaining her strong grip on my hand. "Are you ready to feel things you've never felt before?"

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, taking one last look to see Jerry's reaction.

He was gone.


	3. The Girl With Golden Eyes

Crystal held my hand as we traveled through the first chamber of the cave. It seemed like we'd walked for miles and miles already, even though I knew that would be impossible. My feet and knees felt sore and strained from walking over giant, hard rocks.

"How much longer are we walkin' for?"

"Do you wanna catch him or not?" Crystal snapped, her blue eyes turning in to a golden brown color. I saw fire in her eyes.

Her face was so close to mine and my body became so hot that all of the sudden I felt sick to my stomach. I'd never been so terrified of a woman before, if that's even what she was. Why are the pretty ones always crazy?

"Y-y-yeah," I stuttered while panting. "I do. I'm fine"

We walked through tunnel after tunnel, which made it harder and harder for me to backtrack in my head. Suddenly, I felt a surge of self-doubt, but I couldn't have gotten out of there on my own no matter how hard I tried. It was much harder to navigate than a maze, given it was difficult to see. I tried my best to formulate an exit strategy. I was becoming unsure about this whole adventure. Maybe if my band had come with me, it would have been easier, and the whole thing wouldn't have been so scary.

My stomach felt like it was on fire; I felt sweat start to drip from my face. Heat rose from the floors and shot out from the walls. I felt like I was suffocating.

"Hey," I sighed, trailing a few feet behind her and clutching my stomach. "Can we stop for a second? I ain't feelin' so good..."

Her eyes turned back into a deep blue color and the skin on her face lightened to a soft white. The fire behind her wings had gone out; her wings began to sparkle and glimmer. Crystal had to be some kind of mythical or magical being. Nothing about her was normal.

"Of course," she said, her voice suddenly sounding so sweet.

We sat along one of the cool walls. I leaned all the way back so I could use it cool myself off. Crystal sat right beside me, and I couldn't help but stare at her. She rested an arm around my back. Cool air began to radiate from her body while the ground beneath us sparkled.I looked around at the circle of a silver glitter. Suddenly, my stomach had completely settled and I felt a sense of relief.

Even the pressures of starting a new band had gone away. I didn't have to worry about writing new lyrics, meeting with producers, or getting to the stage on time.

"Do you feel better, my love?" Crystal questioned in a sweet voice.

"I feel...amazing. Did you do somethin' to me? What did'ya do?"

Crystal did not respond to me; she just smiled. I felt a sense of euphoria that I'd never felt before in my life.

"It's weird...I'm not feelin' stressed anymore. I've been workin' my ass off with Alice in Chains...and we've been strugglin' in the studio. Our manager is getting us shitty gigs and the guys are fighting. That shit's been getting to me so much but now...that feeling's all gone."

"Maybe you just needed a break..."

"Yeah maybe...but I really like the guys...and the music we're making...but it's hard work most of the time...I...I feel numb all the sudden...I feel...nothing..."

"You walked away from it all...and just had to stop for a while. Maybe being the front-man of a band wasn't for you...maybe being in a band wasn't for you...and having all of those bad influences around...making you stressed, making you run away."

Taken aback, I jolted my head in her direction. I was offended. Even though it was though, I loved being in a band. Music was the only thing I knew, and the only thing I was ever good at. I wouldn't want to be spending my time any different than with the guys."

"Walked away? Not like I gave up or anything...just been in here for a couple hours. I'm no quitter. Why do you think I'm abandoning them? They're my best buds...I would never leave those guys. They need me...and I need them. How much longer 'till we find this dragon? Are we almost done? Just a little while longer, right?"

Crystal grinned while shaking her head, a reaction I thought was very strange. She began to rub my shoulder. Although this caused my anger to disappear, I continued to be baffled at her comments.

A clicking noise snapped me out of my confusion; it had a rhythm to it, especially as the noise grew closer. The clicking and a small purr echoed from the walls.

"Wh-What's that?"

"That must be Snowball.I was wondering where she wandered off to."

While snickering at the name, a small and fluffy white cat came prancing over toward us.

"She's my cat," Crystal said as Snowball climbed into my lap.

I'd always loved cats, and I welcomed Snowball's soft fur through my fingers. Snowball looked me straight in the eyes, and they were just as memorizing as Crystal's. They were such a piercing blue color. Snowball purred over and over, rubbing her head and body into my chest until my black t-shirt was covered in white fur.

A cat like Snowball seemed very out of the ordinary for such a dark and dangerous place. There was nothing even close to a white color in the whole place. How did you even take care of a cat in a place like that? At this point, I had stopped questioning much more of my surroundings and all of the circumstances.

Being around Crystal made me feel better about being in a cold, dark place. While I couldn't tell the next tunnel we'd be entering next, I began to feel comfortable with Crystal. I was ready to continue to chase the dragon.

"Hey...so...I'm..." I begun to say, before I heard a loud roar.

I begun to see the the tunnel that would help us find the dragon. His fiery breath helped illuminate the walls. The dragon's roar got loud, so loud that I had to cover my ears.

"You ready?" She winked.

"Hell yeah!" I shouted, jumping up high from the ground, bursting with sudden energy.

Crystal ascended from the ground, like an angel. She removed my hands from my ears, before grabbing my head and bringing it closer to hers. Her tongue snaked into my mouth, wrapping itself around mine and nearly taking my breath away. Very slowly, she let me go and moved past me, before I could utter a single word.


	4. Magic

Heat radiated from the walls of the cave as I smelled the blackened smoke beginning to fill the passageway. Crystal was just a few feet ahead of me, yet I could barely see her. I choked on the thick air, long after it had disappeared, just like Crystal. The sweat in my hair and the sweat that coated my skin was now frozen. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop myself from shivering.

I stumbled over rocks through yet another narrow passageway. On the walls I saw framed paintings, paintings that were not famous, but should have been. The biggest one, and the one that impressed me the most, was the one in the center was an insane amount of gore paired with a severed head.

"Fuckin' awesome..." I whispered.

As I marveled at the unique and realistic painting in front of me, I heard a soft purr coming from one of the massive rocks.

"Snowball?"

As I got closer, the small silhouette of an old friend came into my frame. When I first met her, I was captivated by her simple, yet mysterious beauty. She was different from other girls.

Demri was fearless. Demri was small in size but big in spirit. She could take on anything no matter how large, daunting, and seemingly impossible. Her presence made me feel safer. She briefly acknowledged me with her beautiful smile.

Demri continued to sit and run her small hands through Snowballs' fur, and it wasn't until then that I realized that she had marks on her hands that were beginning to climb up her arms.

"Where did those marks come from?"

"Snowball."

Having had cats before, that just didn't seem right. They weren't bites or scratches.

"Really?" I asked.

"Snowball isn't a normal cat. When she bites and scratches, you feel no pain but immediately pass out. It's incredible."

"How?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that she has powers that give me energy and elation. I think this whole place is magical. If this little fuckin' cat is magical, then what about the dragon? Whatever magic is in here is what gives me inspiration to paint and live at the same time."

"Paint?" I asked, turning myself halfway to the hallway where her painting had been hanging.

There was no longer hallway. The opening in the wall had completely sealed.

"Wh-what?" I gasped.

"You see? There's a special thing about this place. You can never look or go back...you can only go ahead. I've been here a long time and every room is new and exciting."

"Aren't you afraid of bein' stuck here?" I asked.

"Stuck," she snickered. "I chose to come here...thought it looked cool. I mean come on... there's nothin' going on in Seattle...nothin' but rain and shitty parties and and more rain. I'd rather just stay here and paint. I'm gettin' so much inspiration just by staying here."

"Aren't you afraid of never getting out?"

"Oh come on, Layne, " she giggled so beautifully. "You knew what you were doing when you walked in here."

Of course that was why I was here...I knew it would be a cold, dark, and at times scary place. What I didn't know though, was that after every passageway and room I passed would immediately close. I didn't know that I would never be able to go home.

"It was cool for a while, but now it's just creepy. Yeah this might be a cool place to visit and write some songs, but I miss music with my band. I miss my friends. I don't want to LIVE in here as the world just moves on without me."

"But it doesn't just move on," Demri smiled. "You're a great success, Layne. You've been right there beside them for all these years."

"Years? What do you mean?"

"Let me show you."

Demri led me to another room. It was much brighter and the second we walked in was the same second everything behind us hardened up so there was no way to return.

Seemingly, we were no longer underground, but at some kind of tavern with a dark wood floor, stone walls, and drinks being poured left and right. Initially it looked as if only strangers filled the room, until I received a friendly side-tackle, causing a drink and splash up and then fall.

"Layne!" Jerry shouted over the loud music and voices. "You made it! We did it dude! We fuckin' did it!"

When I turned to look at Demri, she was gone. I looked around the room to try and find her, but was met only with congratulatory remarks and well wishes. I'd been thirsty ever since I'd entered the cave, and also wished to forget some of this crazy and wild adventure. Adventure? Dream? I could only hope.

I ordered a Jack Daniels at the bar and was struck by a haunting, yet bright orange album in my face.

Sitting in a frame with a glass cover was a record with "Alice in Chains" written on it. Also on the cover was a picture of a woman being buried in dirt; this woman looked remarkably close to Demri. I'd wanted to find her, show her this, and just try to understand this "magic."

The crowd quieted as a familiar face stood up on one of the tables. It was one of the local radio guys from a rock radio station in Seattle.

"Now that the whole band is here," he said. "Why don't we spin some of these tunes? We'll be here all night. Now this first single is only the first of many, but people are lovin' it already!"

What song is this dude talkin' about?

"This is a killer song by the mighty Alice in Chains honoring Seattle's own Andy Wood," he said, pausing to let the room burst with applause. "This is a song called Would?"

As the song began to blare throughout the bar, it sparked confusion within me. It sounded so familiar from the beginning guitar riff to the lyrics, to the point where I could hum the melody along with the track.

What the fuck? What happened to the Facelift tour? Did we already record an album? How?

Sean came up to me, so excited about this apparent tour and success the band was experiencing. First I felt really warm, and then really sick. I had to get out of there and breathe. I'd wanted to see where Demri wandered off to. I needed someone to comfort me, and then I saw her.

Crystal appeared from an open doorway, one that I couldn't see past but gravitated toward. In her brief disappearance, I had been so enamored by Demri that I forgot about how beautiful Crystal was and how her presence alone took away my nausea and cooled me off.

I took a second to look back at the celebration. Everyone was having such a good time. We'd had our break into success after so much hard work, and yet I wasn't happy enough. There I was, running away from everything and everyone I loved.

"Layne..." Crystal said softly from the doorway.

I struggled to stand. I struggled to fuckin' see straight. My forehead began pouring sweat. The longer I looked around the room, the more it spun.

"Layne..." she said again, just as sweetly. "Come here, love."

"I'm," I swallowed. "I'm coming."

Crystal reached out her hand and the second I took it, everything went black.


	5. Again

As I began to open my eyes, my headache had not gone away. I looked around at the cave, and Crystal wasn't in my sight. It was Demri. Her soft face was welcome as she approached me.

"You're here," I smiled. "You're back."

"Of course I am...lost ya for a bit."

"I'm not feelin' too good."

Demri slid her back against the rough edges of the cave and sat beside me. She put her arm around my neck and held me. We both sighed at the exact same time, before looking at each other and laughing. Within a few moments, I felt a lot better. I gently pushed her away and begin to stand with excitement, even though I felt incredibly weak.

I held out my hand.

"Let's go. Let's find this damn dragon."

Demri took my hand and we began another day on our journey, together.

Even though I was excited, it still felt weird for me to keep going. I'd keep looking behind, and there seemed to be a way out; the way out seemed very simple, like a maze designed for a child. Regardless, Demri and I kept plunging forward, until we found a new place to hang out.

We found a studio, a beautiful studio with an easel and what had to be a million paint brushes and colors to choose from. Demri's hand left mine as she ran to the easel and ponder what she would paint.

"This is why I'm here!" she squealed. "This is why we're here. The whole reason!"

She made no fuckin' sense. I'd bought her easels and paintbrushes. I'd built her her own art studio as soon as I'd made enough money. She already had everything she needed in Seattle. She just needed an adventure, inspiration. That wasn't something she could have in the real world. The real world was too boring for Demri. It wasn't right for us.

This place gave her a different glow. It gave her the kind of peace and acceptance that the real world couldn't give her. The world wasn't a good fit for Demri. I chose to stay with her to keep her company, and to love her. I chose to follow her lead to wherever and whatever made her happy.

Demri turned the easel away as I tried to see what she was drawing. I continued to move along with her but she refused to show me.

"I'm not showing you until it's done," she giggled.

"Oh come on..." I groaned.

"Here," she smiled, ripping off a sheet of paper and handing it to me. "Write something."

"Something?" I smiled, raising a brow. "Hmmm...something."

I sat down on one of the giant rocks with the paper and a little paintbrush. I wrote a few letters in red and Demri looked at me with slightly widened eyes.

I finished writing the word "something" on to the paper before showing her my potentially prized work. We both started laughing .

"It's beautiful...I love it."

I flipped the paper over and started to really think about the lyrics. It had been while since I'd written lyrics. Even though I liked writing with the band, I found it much easier to write completely alone; that's what worked best for me.

Suddenly, the music started to play in my head. It started with a beat before the whole song started to build. Finally the lyrics starting spilling out of me, out of nowhere. I'd never felt such creative freedom so easily.

"And the nothin' song sticks to your mouth like peanut butter on the brain..." I sang out loud. "Nothin' ever stays the same."

I sang those lyrics over and over until I finally got my hands to grip the paintbrush again to get the words down on paper. I continued to write and write with surprising ease; the time passed so quickly.

I looked over at Demri, whose painting was already being fit into a frame. She placed it back onto the easel so she could stand back and admire it now. I set my paper and paintbrush down, and she did not object as I approached.

She had painted a large, hairy lumberjack and a naked woman. The lumberjack, of course, was holding an axe. Since it was a "Demri drawing," the woman, of course, was flat chested, as a result of the lumberjack chopping it off.

"Holy shit," I uttered, almost speechless. "That's sick. That's amazing."

"Thank you," she said so innocently.

It was hard to understand and comprehend how such a tiny, beautiful woman could be so demonic and graphic in her art. Although, on the other hand, people would be confused by the lyrics I wrote. How could they possibly be written by a child born out a wealthy Seattle suburb. They will never understand me. They will never understand us and our demons.

Demri and I stood in the center of eight passageways, trying to decide the best option from little light and dripping sounds. I hadn't heard the dragon's roar or seen his spitting flames in a while. Snowball, however, was circling us, stepping on our shoes with his off-white little paws. He rubbed against our legs back and forth, and looked up with blue eyes that were transitioning to gray.

"What in the hell are we supposed to do now?" she sighed.

"If we can find Crystal, she can help. She would know where to go, and she promised to help me. If Snowball is here, she must be close. "

"Fuck Crystal...she's usin' you, Layne. She just sucks you right in, doesn't she? You just can't think for yourself, can you? Just because she promised you something, doesn't mean shit. She's playin' you."

"Fuck you...she's my best chance of even finding the dragon...my best chance."

"Well fuck you too," she yelled, pushing hard into my chest. "I don't need you either. Just go off with your Angel-skank-whore-bitch and I'll just do this by myself."

"You can't do this by yourself!" I yelled back. "You're gonna get hurt. It's too dangerous."

Demri stormed off ahead with Snowball purring and chasing after her. She moved so quickly that it took me a couple of seconds to even catch myself up to what happened. My body was so beat up, worn, and drained that I could barely move.

"Fine!" I yelled, hearing my words echo.

They echoed for so long. I was so alone, again. I tried to follow her, but there were so many paths to choose from, too many ways to go, that I just stood there frozen.

"Dem..." I cried into my hands. "Demri I'm sorry."

"Sinking...draining..." I mumbled, beginning to crouch down.

The nausea came back and I could barely see past the recurring blur. I struggled to sit down. Once I did, the dripping sounds above me got louder. Tilting my head up, I squinted through the darkness, allowing the drops of acid to seep into and behind my right eyeball.

I dropped my head down, pressing over my eye in agony with a hand. It was a scalding, heavy burn. The drops continued to fall, splashing and spreading down my arms. They sparked a burning itch that I couldn't help myself from scratching. The skin on my arms started to bubble and tear into colors of black and dark purple.

The air began to feel hot, thick and humid it suffocated me. My loud screams got weaker as my energy continued to deplete. I barely had enough strength to get the puke out of my system.

"Drowning...bleeding," my voice whispered with a strained, but harsh tone.

The pain took over me until the room went black through both eyes, until there was nothing, again.


End file.
